lars

'05 CLK 500 with two possibly related problems. The first is the gearshift lever, which sometimes won't shift from N to R, and usually won't shift up or down manually while underway. The lever feels as if it's hit a lock, not all the time but some of the time, that prevents it moving from N to R. If I shut the engine off it moves into park easily, and usually it does the same if I lift my foot from the brake. The lever won't change gears manually, though it does move normally. The gearbox and the shift buttons on the back of the steering wheel work normally.

The second problem is parktronic, whose display lights up for a couple of seconds on every start and then, usually, goes out for the duration of the trip. I have pulled and re-inserted the bottom three fuses in the rear fusebox.

Any ideas? Thanks.

lars

The two problems seem to be related. Either the park distance display and the manual up/down shift using the gear lever both work, or neither works. How might these tow be connected? I have no other problems.

Rudeney

I'd pop the cover off the center console and check for loose, broken or pinched wiring harnesses. This is the only thing these two functions have in common.

lars

Thanks. The on-again, off-again nature of the fault does behave like a poor connection. I looked under the console cover. The connectors were all tight and the wires tight in the connectors. I didn't see anything pinched or frayed. The problem is still there. I guess I'll take it to the dealer but I won't be in a hurry to do so.

lars

I got annoyed enough to take the car in for dealer diagnosis. With a half-hour's work I was told the problem was a short in the position indicator in the floor shift assembly. I asked the tech why he thought it was the part and not the harness or connector. The answer involved "too many communication problems with the CAN" and "I've seen this before".

This is a $1K part in Canada (203 267 9124). I'll look around to see if I can get one for less.

lars

The code for this problem is P1856 'Selector lever position detection has failed'. Replacing the floor shift assembly has cleared the issue.

DanielFD

thats why its always important to pull codes. Great to see its sorted